New Home Sunset

My Backyard is SOOO Much Better Than Yours
(well at least in Hudson Valley)
The REAL Million Dollar View in Hudson Valley

Program Finds: Forest & Field (Kerhonkson Elementary)

Reporting on some Nature Nerd Finds my 1st Grade Students from Mrs. Eck's Class of Kerhonkson Elementary found today in their Stream & Forest Program at the Coxing Kill. 

Enjoy.

TheChristyBel

Juvenile Northern Water Snake

Carrion Beetle

Juvenile Northern Red Salamander

Juvenile Northern Red Salamander

Educator Gifts

This morning, received the most adorable THANK YOU card from Kerhonkson Elementary
for coming to their class for Pond Keepers!

Kerhonkson Elementary, you will always be one of my favorites!

Thank YOU!
TheChristyBel

Summer Camp Prep: Young Explorers Crafts

Since field studies and Pond Keepers have died down for the school year, the Education staff is slowly transitioning into camp mode. I am SUPER EXCITED for summer camp this year - because I get to work with little ones! And you know what that means...CRAFTS! Cathy Shiga-Gattullo, the educator who created the curriculum for the Young Explorers (ages 4-6) camp, gave me the challenge of coming up with some new crafts for the 4-weeks of camp. CHALLENGE excepted. Here is one that I just finished creating the craft sample: LED Candlelight Fireflies for Insects Week!

TheChristyBel

FIREFLIES!

Hiking to Lake Awosting

After several weeks of being stressed from work and this move, I needed some ChristyBel time. With that, a hike was is in order. So I hiked over to one of my favorite places on the Ridge - Lake Awosting. It's a good 4.3 miles from the Lake Minnewaska parking lot (one way). So hiking out my angst, negative energy, and stress on a 8.6-mile hike was the perfect medicine to getting me back to feeling like TheChristyBel. Since it was super cloudy and chances of rain, there were not many people on the trail. So it was great having the area to my self. :) 

TheChristyBel

Enjoy some of the pictures I took of some pretty cool nature finds:

A FOUR-Flower Star Flower

High Bush Blueberry in Bloom

Orange Hawkweed

More Pink Lady Slippers

A Lightning Struck Tree?

A Vacant Lake Awosting

Gorgeous Views of the Catskills

Row, Row, Row Your Boat

Rowing the Row Boat on Mohonk Lake

Sky Top from Mohonk Lake

Moving to Gardiner

So back in March, we received word from our landlord that we were being asked to move out. No, it was not becuase we were terrible tenants, but becuase our landlord was going to move back in. Over the past three months, I researched on Craigslist, Zillow, word of mouth, surveyed 'For Rent' signs on the sides of roads, and even asked on the New Paltz/Gardiner Facebook pages. Out of sheer luck, from the Gardiner Facebook Page, someone responded for my cry for help.

The new apartment that we chose is smaller than the two-bedroom house that we were previously in. We moved into a one-bedroom apartment (it was a good way to down-size on the amount of stuff we accumulated from Wyoming and moving back east) and it's in a much better location. I am actually about 7-minutes from work now! So, we are now officially in the town of Gardiner (previously we were in the out-skirts of Gardiner and technically in New Paltz). Super nice how I can just roll out of bed and head right to work (not that I would actually do that)...but super nice to be super close even in inclement weather. Also, we have a great backyard, a 180 degree view of the entire Shawangunk Ridge. It's a great view in general, but also great to survey weather if were thinking about going climbing or hiking on days off.

The landlord and his family lives on site, right next door, which is great! They are very nice and his two little girls are super adorable. But what we have noticed that if we have any apartment issues, he is right next door, accessible, and open to our concerns. There is literally no wait time, which is great in case its immediate.

Also, we were able to move our stuff in earlier than our proposed official date, which relieved some stress on our 'official out' of our previous place. But now, after a few days of moving things in, purging stuff, and organizing, we are officially moved in and settled in! Even Ted is doing okay - he was not okay with the packing up of the old house and actually moving to the new house. But after we stopped bringing in boxes and moving stuff around, he has officially settled down and made the new place his kingdom.

Now, come visit us!

TheChristyBel

Living Room (and our front door)

Living Room into the Kitchen

Kitchen

Hallway from Kitchen

Leading to the Bathroom

The Bedroom
(do not mind the piles of stuff)

Back Hallway and Storage

First Official Sunset from the BackYard

Ted Seems to Have Settled In Well

Thunderstorms on the Ridge

A very huge storm rolled through and ruined our chance for a hike today...Amanda and I were just past the Uber Fall when the entire sky got really dark and bellowed some loud thunder! So we had to skadoosh back to the car. But before that, we totally stopped for pictures of course. SAFETY FIRST...? Or Pictures First...

Don't worry, we made it back safe and had dinner together at her silo and watched the storm pass through inside safe quarters.

TheChristyBel

You Could See the Downpour from the Scenic Lookout on Rt. 44/55

Large Storm Clouds

Angry Skies

Program Finds: Forest & Field

A snake's most vulnerable moment in time is when it's about to shed. Snakes will shed their skin in one piece, including eye caps. They do this monthly. Skin becomes dull, their eyes become cloudy or "bluish," and they become more nervous (since they cannot see well). When you see a snake about to shed, please give it space to make it feel comfortable.

Lauren & Neil's Wedding

This past weekend, I visited Long Island to attend a wedding of one of Marc's high school friends. The wedding was super beautiful and super fun. We were able to sit at the high school friends table. This was a super great way for me to meet more of his high school friends. Even though I rarely, talk to any of the people I was friends with in my high school group, it was super cool to see how close-knit his friends from Commack High still are. I had a blast at this wedding. Lauren (one of the girls from their core-group), the Bride, was absolutely beautiful. And Neil, the Groom, was super nice. The food was pretty awesome and the rest of the night was just dancing away and taking over a Polaroid camera and taking lots of pictures. Lauren and Neil, your wedding was amazing and CONGRATULATIONS!!! Enjoy!

Our Table Name Cards

TheChristyBel

Nicole and Her Mom

Me, Amanda, and Nicole

Kisses Caught on Film